Shurin Guild HQ
Inside the sleek walls of Rei Hanekawa's office, Takami sat coolly on the guest chair, legs slightly spread, posture relaxed, but not careless. His eyes lazily wandered around the room, checking the aesthetics: the minimalist modern design, the soft blue ambient lighting tracing edges of the walls, the polished wooden furniture that carried a calm yet commanding authority. A couple of framed paintings, abstract, hung on the walls, and behind Rei was a full glass panel that overlooked the city skyline, humming with morning life.
Not as tech-heavy as Kaito Mizuno's office, but this room had its own kind of power. The kind that came from subtlety.
Rei sat across from Takami, fingers interlocked and resting on the table.
"So," Takami finally broke the silence, voice casual but precise. "When's the test starting?"
Rei leaned back slightly in his chair with a feint smile. "Oh, it'll be here shortly. They're bringing in the machine."
Takami gave a silent nod.
Then came a knock.
"Come in."
The door opened to reveal two intelligence officers, bringing in a sleek, disk-shaped device. Round, flat, and almost unnaturally smooth. It gleamed an eerie white.
They placed it gently on the floor. One approached Rei, handing over a digital tablet. An interface for live result readings. Then they both bowed respectfully and exited.
Takami stared at the device. It looked like the ones at the evaluation center, but smaller.
"It's a prototype," Rei explained, rising from his seat. "First version of the evaluation machine used across the country. Much more accurate. Less… exploitable."
Takami stood up as well, following Rei's lead.
"Shall we?" Rei smiled with that signature composure, slightly smug.
Takami stepped onto the disk. The device responded immediately, its surface turning pitch black. The low hum was nearly imperceptible, yet the room's atmosphere felt heavier for a moment.
Rei watched the tablet screen.
[Evaluation Commencing…]
He peeked at Takami, who stood calmly, hands at his sides.
Seconds passed, then the platform blinked back to white. Takami stepped off.
[Evaluation Complete.]
Rei glanced back at the screen, his eyes narrowing slightly.
[Category: Low Grant Level]
[P4%… M10%… S—… 3]
[Rank-3]
The tablet beeped softly, confirming the result.
Rei's expression barely changed, but his eyes told the truth. They widened for a flash, just a second, quickly suppressed by his usual controlled demeanor.
"Hm…I think I know why," he thought.
"What're the results?" Takami asked, even though his tone hinted he already knew.
"Exactly what you said," Rei replied, lips curling into a polite smile. "Apologies for doubting."
"Right. I'll be going now," Takami said simply, already turning to leave.
Rei didn't stop him. "I hope we meet again."
Takami nodded faintly, slipping out of the office.
As the door shut behind him, Rei sat back in his chair and muttered, "I used to be pretty good at this game too…but I hope you have a good reason for hiding it."
Inside the elevator, a woman stood already, likely a staff. Takami entered, pressed for the ground floor, and gave her a silent nod. She nodded back, trying not to stare.
The elevator hit the ground floor and the doors opened.
"Have a nice day," Takami said without looking back, hands in pockets as he walked out.
"You too," she replied.
As Takami neared the exit, his senses prickled. A presence, dense, heavy, slow-moving but unmistakably dominant…entered the room. Behind him, whispers spread quickly. Bowing heads followed.
He looked up.
Tatsuya Shurin. Guild master. Living legend.
Takami didn't flinch. He kept walking.
But as he was about to pass, a strong arm blocked his path.
Takami's eyes flicked to it, then slowly pushed it away, brushing it aside with just enough force to avoid being disrespectful.
Shurin's gaze bore into him. "Hello there," he said in a composed, yet clearly irritated voice. "I'd appreciate it if we could tal—"
"Got things to do. Sorry, maybe some other time," Takami cut him off, voice flat as he stepped past him.
The hall fell silent for a beat. Shurin stood frozen, hand still midair. Rejection wasn't new to him, but this? In public? From some no-name?
"Perhaps," Shurin said with a tight smile, "you don't know who I am."
Takami stopped just by the glass doors and turned his head slightly. "Tatsuya Shurin. Guild master of Japan's top guild. Prestigious, influential, powerful. Yeah, I know. It's an honor meeting you, really. But I have somewhere I need to be."
Then he walked out.
Shurin's smile twitched. His fists clenched. He exhaled slowly.
"Get back to work," he said to the nearby onlookers before walking into the elevator.
Rei Hanekawa's Office
The office doors opened and Shurin walked in. Rei smiled, still seated, but bowing his head slightly.
"Welcome back," Rei said.
Shurin didn't greet back. His eyes locked on the evaluation disk still sitting in the corner.
"Who is he?" he asked coldly, taking the seat opposite Rei, leg crossed.
Rei's smile remained, but his brow twitched. "Takami. Just someone I thought had potential. Perhaps I was wrong."
Shurin's stare hardened. "I want him in this guild."
Rei blinked once. "Pardon?"
"It's the same ability as yours," Shurin said. "Don't pretend."
Rei chuckled faintly. "I didn't want to push. But hearing it from the only man who sees through grant control is more convincing."
"He's just a fraction weaker than Jin," Shurin said bluntly.
Rei's mind reeled. Jin? Jin was the best Rank-1 High Grant user in the whole of Asia. A living weapon. Comparing Takami to him was like comparing a spark to a wildfire. And yet, Shurin wasn't joking.
"Has he grown stronger…?" Rei muttered. "No. That's not possible."
Shurin leaned forward slightly. "Is there a problem?"
"No." Rei straightened, forcing a calm smile. "I'll make sure our scouts get to him before anyone else does."
"Good." Shurin stood, eyes still burning with restrained tension. "Make sure they don't fail."
As he left the room, Rei leaned back, but this time his smile faded.
"Just how strong are you, Takami Ryusei?"
Meanwhile.
Takami was already inside a taxi, heading back home.
"Thank goodness… the Grant control worked," he thought, leaning back in the seat.
Time passed. Now back in Ome, he decided not to head straight home. Instead, he took to the streets on foot, walking down the road slowly, hands in his pockets.
He was just passing by an alleyway when something suddenly clung to him.
His eyes widened. A girl had grabbed his arm, clutching it tightly. He turned his head to look at her, but before he could ask anything, his gaze flicked up, two guys stood at the entrance of the alley, their appearance and demeanor screaming trouble. The kind of low-life thugs or drugged-out scum you avoid.
"I told you, I came with my… boyfriend. Leave me alone already!" the girl yelled at them, pulling herself even closer to Takami.
Takami blinked. "Boyfriend? What is happening here?" he thought, starting to pull his hand away, but she only tightened her grip.
Her voice dropped to a whisper, just enough for only him to hear. "Please. Just… pretend. Just a little longer."
Then she leaned her head gently against his shoulder. Takami froze for a moment, feeling her heartbeat through the contact.
"Haa? Boyfriend? You for real? He's just some random dude off the street," one of the thugs growled.
Takami exhaled and quickly decided to roll with it.
"Where did you go after we came out of the park?" he said with a calm tone. "I told you to wait for me."
The girl's face lit up in surprise, genuine this time, but she didn't miss a beat. "I just went to make a call, and these guys when forced me into the alley."
"Just leave us alone, alright?" Takami said, turning to the men, tone soft.
The two guys looked at each other, one stepping forward with a nasty sneer. "Do we look like people you can fo—"
"I said leave us alone." Takami's voice dropped, laced with quiet intensity. His eyes glowed faintly.
The two men froze. Their smug expressions cracked. They backed away slowly, then bolted further into the alley, tripping over garbage bags and boxes.
The girl instantly let go, taking a step back and bowing.
"Th-thank you," she said, clearly shaken but trying to maintain composure.
"It's… alright," Takami said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.
As she looked up and properly saw his face, her eyes widened.
"Eh?! Takami?"
He blinked. "How do you know my name?"
She smiled softly. "You helped us out during that dorm collapse mission, remember?"
Takami tilted his head, trying to check his memory. "Uhhh…"
"The Phang team?" she added.
"Oh yeah!" he said, smiling faintly as he rubbed the back of his neck again. "Now I remember. How are you doing?"
Truthfully… he still didn't remember her.
"So… what's my name?" she said, eyeing him with a playful glare.
"Eh?" Takami looked blank.
"Caught you." She sighed dramatically, followed by a light laugh. "You don't actually remember."
He shrugged. "I remember the mission, but I don't really keep track of names or faces unless I see them a lot. Sorry. You were the mage, right?"
"Yeah, that's me. Anyways, I'm Hanae. Again." she said, grinning. "Let's walk,"
"Alright."
They walked side by side, the awkward energy slowly mellowing out.
"So… how'd you end up in that mess?" Takami asked.
"I noticed those two following me. So I ducked into the alley planning to scare them off with my powers. But they started talking, you know, saying nice words but in a creepy way. If that makes sense."
"Yeah. Totally makes sense."
"I thought maybe I could talk my way out. But when that didn't work, I just blurted out I had a boyfriend nearby." She chuckled. "I wasn't thinking straight, but then… you showed up. Like magic."
"Oh, okay." Takami said.
"I didn't realize it was you at first because your hair's different from back then."
Takami nodded, but his expression gradually became serious. That cold, crawling sensation crept down his spine, the distinct feeling of being watched. He glanced around, scanning rooftops and reflections in windows.
Hanae turned to say something. "So what brings you to this p-p-p-par-part o-of…" her voice stuttered, then she started glitching.
"Hanae?" Takami's eyes widened. "Hanae! What's going on?!"
He reached for her, but his hand passed through like she was a hologram. Not just her…everything around him started glitching. People walking, cars driving. All of it began to stutter and blur.
Everything vanished.
Just buildings left.
DING!
⟨Warning: Player Is Being Observed.⟩
"This again…" he muttered, breathing shallow.
The world twisted. Reality cracked, stitched itself in the wrong way. The sky darkened. The air turned thick.
Then came that same sick pull in his gut. His balance wavered.
And then it appeared.
The same figure from before.
Black robes. Hood pulled low, face covered. A being that didn't belong in this world. Its presence alone distorted the atmosphere. Like static in reality.
A violent chill ran down Takami's spine, paralyzing his limbs. His body screamed danger. Yet he couldn't move.
DING!
⟨Warning: Unidentified Entity Detected. No Data Available.⟩